AHL Charlotte Checkers

Checkers Go into Final Week in Search of Playoff Berth

March 24, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release


TUESDAY'S PREVIEW: The Checkers will continue their four-game, regular-season ending road trip Tuesday night when they'll meet the Florida Everblades at Teco Arena in Fort Myers, Florida. Tuesday's game will be the Checkers second and final matchup with the Everblades this season. Charlotte won the previous meeting between the two clubs in Charlotte on November 22 by a score of 5-2. Tuesday's game has major implications for both teams. The Checkers are fighting for a playoff spot in the Northeast Division while Florida is attempting to nail down third place in the Southeast Division. Right wing Kevin Brown leads Florida in scoring with 24 goals and 40 assists for 64 points. The Checkers were the first team to ever play a game at TECO Arena, opening the building on November 19, 1998 and dropping a 4-1 decision to the Everblades. The Checkers last played in Florida on February 27 of 1999.

2002-03 VS. FLORIDA (34-22-13 = 81 PTS) TWO-GAME SEASON SERIES OVERALL - 1-0-0 HOME - 1-0-0 AWAY - 0-0-0 LIFETIME VS. FLORIDA: 4-6-2

FRIDAY'S PREVIEW: The Checkers will close out their eight-game season series with The Greensboro Generals Friday night at the Greensboro Coliseum. Charlotte is battling the Generals for one of the final playoff spots in the Northeast Division. The Checkers lead the season series at 4-3-0, and have won the last three contests. Charlotte has eight points in the series while the Generals have seven, so the winner of Friday's game will take the season series as well as the Carolina Cup series. Charlotte has won the Carolina Cup series the first three seasons of the competition. The Generals are led in scoring by Bryan Richardson with 29 goals and 36 assists for 65 points.

2002-03 VS. GREENSBORO (37-21-9 = 83 PTS) EIGHT-GAME SEASON SERIES OVERALL - 4-3-0 HOME - 2-2-0 AWAY - 2-1-0 LIFETIME VS. GREENSBORO - 26-6-3

SATURDAY'S PREVIEW: The Checkers will close out the regular season Saturday night in Richmond. The Renegades have officially been eliminated from the playoff race. Charlotte is 1-1-1 in Richmond so far this season, to go with a 5-0 mark against the Renegades at Cricket Arena. Lars Petersen leads Richmond in scoring with 25 goals and 52 assists for 77 points.

2002-03 VS. RICHMOND (33-30-5= 71 PTS) NINE-GAME SEASON SERIES OVERALL - 6-1-1 HOME - 5-0-0 AWAY - 1-1-1 LIFETIME VS. RICHMOND - 32-27-11

CHECKERS RECENT MOVES AND TRANSACTIONS: Wednesday, March 19 - The Checkers released goaltender Derek Wilkinson. Thursday, March 20 - The Checkers released forward Mike Hartman. Friday, March 21 - The Checkers signed free agent goalie Geoff Derouin. Friday, March 21 - The Checkers signed free agent defenseman Steve Burgess.

NEWS AND NOTES:

• Checkers went 3-1-0 last week.

• Checkers have won five of their last six, are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games, and 13-2-1 in their last 16 games.

• Center David Evans had five goals and one assist for six points last week, and scored at least one goal in each game for a four-game goal scoring streak.

• Goalie Colin Zulianello went 3-1-0 with a 2.01 GAA and .935 save percentage. His shutout Tuesday against Atlantic City was his second in three games. "Z" is also 6-1-1 with a 1.99 GAA in his last eight games.

• Left Wing Dusty Jamieson had four goals last week including the Checkers third hat trick of the season Friday night in Charlotte's 6-4 win over Atlantic City. Jamieson is also tied with three others for most game-winning goals for rookies with six.

• Right wing Kevin Caulfield is fifth in the ECHL in shots taken with 253.

• The Checkers are 7-0 in shootouts this season.

• The Checkers drew a season-high crowd of 9,534 last Friday night in their 6-4 victory over Atlantic City.

• Defenseman Chad Wilchynski finished at +2 last week and continues to lead the Checkers in plus/minus at +28

• The Checkers have the most wins in the Northeast Division with 40, and the most road wins in the Northeast Division with 18.

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:

Tuesday, March 18 (H) Atlantic City W 2-0
Friday, March 21 (H) Atlantic City W 6-4
Saturday, March 22 (H) Roanoke L 2-3
Sunday, March 23 @ Columbus W 4-1

Checkers went 3-1-0 last week.

TICKET INFO: Checkers playoff ticket information can be obtained by calling the Checkers office at (704) 342-4423, or by visiting the Checkers website at www.gocheckers.com.

The Charlotte Checkers enter their tenth season as members of the East Coast Hockey League, who celebrate their 15th anniversary this season. The team is owned by Felix Sabates and Carl Scheer. The Checkers play all home games at Cricket Arena. For more information on Charlotte's professional hockey team, please visit www.gocheckers.com, or call (704) 342-4423.

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American Hockey League Stories from March 24, 2003


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